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Chapter 6
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AN OLD-FASHIONED CARD-PARTY―THECLERGYMAN’S VERSES―THE STORY OF THECONVICT’S RETURNeveral guests who were assembled in the old parlour roseto greet Mr. Pickwick and his friends upon their entrance;and during the performance of the ceremony ofintroduction, with all due formalities, Mr. Pickwick had leisure toobserve the appearance, and speculate upon the characters andpursuits, of the persons by whom he was surrounded―a habit inwhich he, in common with many other great men, delighted toindulge.

  A very old lady, in a lofty cap and faded silk gown―no less apersonage than Mr. Wardle’s mother―occupied the post ofhonour on the right-hand corner of the chimney-piece; andvarious certificates of her having been brought up in the way sheshould go when young, and of her not having departed from itwhen old, ornamented1 the walls, in the form of samplers of ancientdate, worsted landscapes of equal antiquity2, and crimson3 silk tea-kettle holders4 of a more modern period. The aunt, the two youngladies, and Mr. Wardle, each vying5 with the other in payingzealous and unremitting attentions to the old lady, crowded roundher easy-chair, one holding her ear-trumpet, another an orange,and a third a smelling-bottle, while a fourth was busily engaged inpatting and punching the pillows which were arranged for hersupport. On the opposite side sat a bald-headed old gentleman,with a good-humoured, benevolent6 face―the clergyman ofDingley Dell; and next him sat his wife, a stout7, blooming old lady,who looked as if she were well skilled, not only in the art andmystery of manufacturing home-made cordials greatly to otherpeople’s satisfaction, but of tasting them occasionally very much toher own. A little hard-headed, Ripstone pippin-faced man, wasconversing with a fat old gentleman in one corner; and two orthree more old gentlemen, and two or three more old ladies, satbolt upright and motionless on their chairs, staring very hard atMr. Pickwick and his fellow-voyagers.

  ‘Mr. Pickwick, mother,’ said Mr. Wardle, at the very top of hisvoice.

  ‘Ah!’ said the old lady, shaking her head; ‘I can’t hear you.’

  ‘Mr. Pickwick, grandma!’ screamed both the young ladiestogether.

  ‘Ah!’ exclaimed the old lady. ‘Well, it don’t much matter. Hedon’t care for an old ’ooman like me, I dare say.’

  ‘I assure you, ma’am,’ said Mr. Pickwick, grasping the old lady’shand, and speaking so loud that the exertion8 imparted a crimsonhue to his benevolent countenance―‘I assure you, ma’am, thatnothing delights me more than to see a lady of your time of lifeheading so fine a family, and looking so young and well.’

  ‘Ah!’ said the old lady, after a short pause: ‘it’s all very fine, Idare say; but I can’t hear him.’

  ‘Grandma’s rather put out now,’ said Miss Isabella Wardle, in alow tone; ‘but she’ll talk to you presently.’

  Mr. Pickwick nodded his readiness to humour the infirmities ofage, and entered into a general conversation with the othermembers of the circle.

  ‘Delightful situation this,’ said Mr. Pickwick.

  ‘Delightful!’ echoed Messrs. Snodgrass, Tupman, and Winkle.

  ‘Well, I think it is,’ said Mr. Wardle.

  ‘There ain’t a better spot o’ ground in all Kent, sir,’ said thehard-headed man with the pippin-face; ‘there ain’t indeed, sir―I’m sure there ain’t, sir.’ The hard-headed man lookedtriumphantly round, as if he had been very much contradicted bysomebody, but had got the better of him at last.

  ‘There ain’t a better spot o’ ground in all Kent,’ said the hard-headed man again, after a pause.

  ‘’Cept Mullins’s Meadows,’ observed the fat man solemnly.

  ‘Mullins’s Meadows!’ ejaculated the other, with profoundcontempt.

  ‘Ah, Mullins’s Meadows,’ repeated the fat man.

  ‘Reg’lar good land that,’ interposed another fat man.

  ‘And so it is, surely,’ said a third fat man.

  ‘Everybody knows that,’ said the corpulent host.

  The hard-headed man looked dubiously10 round, but findinghimself in a minority, assumed a compassionate11 air and said nomore. ‘What are they talking about?’ inquired the old lady of oneof her granddaughters, in a very audible voice; for, like many deafpeople, she never seemed to calculate on the possibility of otherpersons hearing what she said herself.

  ‘About the land, grandma.’

  ‘What about the land?―Nothing the matter, is there?’

  ‘No, no. Mr. Miller13 was saying our land was better thanMullins’s Meadows.’

  ‘How should he know anything about it?’ inquired the old ladyindignantly. ‘Miller’s a conceited14 coxcomb15, and you may tell him Isaid so.’ Saying which, the old lady, quite unconscious that shehad spoken above a whisper, drew herself up, and looked carving-knives at the hard-headed delinquent16.

  ‘Come, come,’ said the bustling17 host, with a natural anxiety tochange the conversation, ‘what say you to a rubber, Mr.

  Pickwick?’

  ‘I should like it of all things,’ replied that gentleman; ‘but praydon’t make up one on my account.’

  ‘Oh, I assure you, mother’s very fond of a rubber,’ said Mr.

  Wardle; ‘ain’t you, mother?’

  The old lady, who was much less deaf on this subject than onany other, replied in the affirmative.

  ‘Joe, Joe!’ said the gentleman; ‘Joe―damn that―oh, here he is;put out the card―tables.’

  The lethargic18 youth contrived19 without any additional rousing toset out two card-tables; the one for Pope Joan, and the other forwhist. The whist-players were Mr. Pickwick and the old lady, Mr.

  Miller and the fat gentleman. The round game comprised the restof the company.

  The rubber was conducted with all that gravity of deportmentand sedateness20 of demeanour which befit the pursuit entitled‘whist’―a solemn observance, to which, as it appears to us, thetitle of ‘game’ has been very irreverently and ignominiouslyapplied. The round-game table, on the other hand, was soboisterously merry as materially to interrupt the contemplations ofMr. Miller, who, not being quite so much absorbed as he ought tohave been, contrived to commit various high crimes andmisdemeanours, which excited the wrath22 of the fat gentleman to avery great extent, and called forth23 the good-humour of the old ladyin a proportionate degree.

  ‘There!’ said the criminal Miller triumphantly9, as he took up theodd trick at the conclusion of a hand; ‘that could not have beenplayed better, I flatter myself; impossible to have made anothertrick!’

  ‘Miller ought to have trumped24 the diamond, oughtn’t he, sir?’

  said the old lady.

  Mr. Pickwick nodded assent25.

  ‘Ought I, though?’ said the unfortunate, with a doubtful appealto his partner.

  ‘You ought, sir,’ said the fat gentleman, in an awful voice.

  ‘Very sorry,’ said the crestfallen26 Miller.

  ‘Much use that,’ growled27 the fat gentleman.

  ‘Two by honours―makes us eight,’ said Mr. Pickwick.

  ‘Another hand. ‘Can you one?’ inquired the old lady.

  ‘I can,’ replied Mr. Pickwick. ‘Double, single, and the rub.’

  ‘Never was such luck,’ said Mr. Miller.

  ‘Never was such cards,’ said the fat gentleman.

  A solemn silence; Mr. Pickwick humorous, the old lady serious,the fat gentleman captious28, and Mr. Miller timorous29.

  ‘Another double,’ said the old lady, triumphantly making amemorandum of the circumstance, by placing one sixpence and abattered halfpenny under the candlestick.

  ‘A double, sir,’ said Mr. Pickwick.

  ‘Quite aware of the fact, sir,’ replied the fat gentleman sharply.

  Another game, with a similar result, was followed by a revokefrom the unlucky Miller; on which the fat gentleman burst into astate of high personal excitement which lasted until the conclusionof the game, when he retired30 into a corner, and remained perfectlymute for one hour and twenty-seven minutes; at the end of whichtime he emerged from his retirement31, and offered Mr. Pickwick apinch of snuff with the air of a man who had made up his mind toa Christian32 forgiveness of injuries sustained. The old lady’shearing decidedly improved and the unlucky Miller felt as muchout of his element as a dolphin in a sentry-box.

  Meanwhile the round game proceeded right merrily. IsabellaWardle and Mr. Trundle ‘went partners,’ and Emily Wardle andMr. Snodgrass did the same; and even Mr. Tupman and thespinster aunt established a joint-stock company of fish andflattery. Old Mr. Wardle was in the very height of his jollity; and hewas so funny in his management of the board, and the old ladieswere so sharp after their winnings, that the whole table was in aperpetual roar of merriment and laughter. There was one old ladywho always had about half a dozen cards to pay for, at whicheverybody laughed, regularly every round; and when the old ladylooked cross at having to pay, they laughed louder than ever; onwhich the old lady’s face gradually brightened up, till at last shelaughed louder than any of them, Then, when the spinster auntgot ‘matrimony,’ the young ladies laughed afresh, and the Spinsteraunt seemed disposed to be pettish33; till, feeling Mr. Tupmansqueezing her hand under the table, she brightened up too, andlooked rather knowing, as if matrimony in reality were not quite sofar off as some people thought for; whereupon everybody laughedagain, and especially old Mr. Wardle, who enjoyed a joke as muchas the youngest. As to Mr. Snodgrass, he did nothing but whisperpoetical sentiments into his partner’s ear, which made one oldgentleman facetiously34 sly, about partnerships35 at cards andpartnerships for life, and caused the aforesaid old gentleman tomake some remarks thereupon, accompanied with divers36 winksand chuckles37, which made the company very merry and the oldgentleman’s wife especially so. And Mr. Winkle came out withjokes which are very well known in town, but are not all known inthe country; and as everybody laughed at them very heartily38, andsaid they were very capital, Mr. Winkle was in a state of greathonour and glory. And the benevolent clergyman lookedpleasantly on; for the happy faces which surrounded the tablemade the good old man feel happy too; and though the merrimentwas rather boisterous21, still it came from the heart and not from thelips; and this is the right sort of merriment, after all.

  The evening glided39 swiftly away, in these cheerful recreations;and when the substantial though homely40 supper had beendespatched, and the little party formed a social circle round thefire, Mr. Pickwick thought he had never felt so happy in his life,and at no time so much disposed to enjoy, and make the most of,the passing moment.

  ‘Now this,’ said the hospitable41 host, who was sitting in greatstate next the old lady’s arm-chair, with her hand fast clasped inhis―‘this is just what I like―the happiest moments of my life havebeen passed at this old fireside; and I am so attached to it, that Ikeep up a blazing fire here every evening, until it actually growstoo hot to bear it. Why, my poor old mother, here, used to sitbefore this fireplace upon that little stool when she was a girl;didn’t you, mother?’

  The tear which starts unbidden to the eye when the recollectionof old times and the happiness of many years ago is suddenlyrecalled, stole down the old lady’s face as she shook her head witha melancholy42 smile.

  ‘You must excuse my talking about this old place, Mr.

  Pickwick,’ resumed the host, after a short pause, ‘for I love itdearly, and know no other―the old houses and fields seem likeliving friends to me; and so does our little church with the ivy43,about which, by the bye, our excellent friend there made a songwhen he first came amongst us. Mr. Snodgrass, have you anythingin your glass?’

  ‘Plenty, thank you,’ replied that gentleman, whose poeticcuriosity had been greatly excited by the last observation of hisentertainer. ‘I beg your pardon, but you were talking about thesong of the Ivy.’

  ‘You must ask our friend opposite about that,’ said the hostknowingly, indicating the clergyman by a nod of his head.

  ‘May I say that I should like to hear you repeat it, sir?’ said Mr.

  Snodgrass.

  ‘Why, really,’ replied the clergyman, ‘it’s a very slight affair; andthe only excuse I have for having ever perpetrated it is, that I wasa young man at the time. Such as it is, however, you shall hear it, ifyou wish.’

  A murmur44 of curiosity was of course the reply; and the oldgentleman proceeded to recite, with the aid of sundry45 promptingsfrom his wife, the lines in question. ‘I call them,’ said he,THE IVY GREENOh, a dainty plant is the Ivy green,That creepeth o’er ruins old!

  Of right choice food are his meals, I ween,In his cell so lone46 and cold.

  The wall must be crumbled47, the stone decayed,To pleasure his dainty whim;And the mouldering48 dust that years have made,Is a merry meal for him.

  Creeping where no life is seen,A rare old plant is the Ivy green.

  Fast he stealeth on, though he wears no wings,And a staunch old heart has he.

  How closely he twineth, how tight he clingsTo his friend the huge Oak Tree!

  And slily he traileth along the ground,And his leaves he gently waves,As he joyously50 hugs and crawleth roundThe rich mould of dead men’s graves.

  Creeping where grim death has been,A rare old plant is the Ivy green.

  Whole ages have fled and their works decayed,And nations have scattered51 been;But the stout old Ivy shall never fade,From its hale and hearty52 green.

  The brave old plant in its lonely days,Shall fatten53 upon the past;For the stateliest building man can raise,Is the Ivy’s food at last.

  Creeping on where time has been,A rare old plant is the Ivy green.

  While the old gentleman repeated these lines a second time, toenable Mr. Snodgrass to note them down, Mr. Pickwick perusedthe lineaments of his face with an expression of great interest. Theold gentleman having concluded his dictation, and Mr. Snodgrasshaving returned his note-book to his pocket, Mr. Pickwick said―‘Excuse me, sir, for making the remark on so short anacquaintance; but a gentleman like yourself cannot fail, I shouldthink, to have observed many scenes and incidents worthrecording, in the course of your experience as a minister of theGospel.’

  ‘I have witnessed some certainly,’ replied the old gentleman,‘but the incidents and characters have been of a homely andordinary nature, my sphere of action being so very limited.’

  ‘You did make some notes, I think, about John Edmunds, didyou not?’ inquired Mr. Wardle, who appeared very desirous todraw his friend out, for the edification of his new visitors.

  The old gentleman slightly nodded his head in token of assent,and was proceeding54 to change the subject, when Mr. Pickwicksaid―‘I beg your pardon, sir, but pray, if I may venture to inquire,who was John Edmunds?’

  ‘The very thing I was about to ask,’ said Mr. Snodgrass eagerly.

  ‘You are fairly in for it,’ said the jolly host. ‘You must satisfy thecuriosity of these gentlemen, sooner or later; so you had bettertake advantage of this favourable55 opportunity, and do so at once.’

  The old gentleman smiled good-humouredly as he drew hischair forward―the remainder of the party drew their chairs closertogether, especially Mr. Tupman and the spinster aunt, who werepossibly rather hard of hearing; and the old lady’s ear-trumpethaving been duly adjusted, and Mr. Miller (who had fallen asleepduring the recital56 of the verses) roused from his slumbers57 by anadmonitory pinch, administered beneath the table by his ex-partner the solemn fat man, the old gentleman, without furtherpreface, commenced the following tale, to which we have takenthe liberty of prefixing the title ofTHE CONVICT’S RETURN‘When I first settled in this village,’ said the old gentleman, ‘whichis now just five-and-twenty years ago, the most notorious personamong my parishioners was a man of the name of Edmunds, wholeased a small farm near this spot. He was a morose58, savage-hearted, bad man; idle and dissolute in his habits; cruel andferocious in his disposition59. Beyond the few lazy and recklessvagabonds with whom he sauntered away his time in the fields, orsotted in the ale-house, he had not a single friend or acquaintance;no one cared to speak to the man whom many feared, and everyone detested―and Edmunds was shunned60 by all.

  ‘This man had a wife and one son, who, when I first came here,was about twelve years old. Of the acuteness of that woman’ssufferings, of the gentle and enduring manner in which she borethem, of the agony of solicitude61 with which she reared that boy, noone can form an adequate conception. Heaven forgive me thesupposition, if it be an uncharitable one, but I do firmly and in mysoul believe, that the man systematically62 tried for many years tobreak her heart; but she bore it all for her child’s sake, and,however strange it may seem to many, for his father’s too; forbrute as he was, and cruelly as he had treated her, she had lovedhim once; and the recollection of what he had been to her,awakened63 feelings of forbearance and meekness65 under sufferingin her bosom66, to which all God’s creatures, but women, arestrangers.

  ‘They were poor―they could not be otherwise when the manpursued such courses; but the woman’s unceasing and unweariedexertions, early and late, morning, noon, and night, kept themabove actual want. These exertions67 were but ill repaid. Peoplewho passed the spot in the evening―sometimes at a late hour ofthe night―reported that they had heard the moans and sobs68 of awoman in distress69, and the sound of blows; and more than once,when it was past midnight, the boy knocked softly at the door of aneighbour’s house, whither he had been sent, to escape thedrunken fury of his unnatural70 father.

  ‘During the whole of this time, and when the poor creatureoften bore about her marks of ill-usage and violence which shecould not wholly conceal71, she was a constant attendant at our littlechurch. Regularly every Sunday, morning and afternoon, sheoccupied the same seat with the boy at her side; and though theywere both poorly dressed―much more so than many of theirneighbours who were in a lower station―they were always neatand clean. Every one had a friendly nod and a kind word for “poorMrs. Edmunds”; and sometimes, when she stopped to exchange afew words with a neighbour at the conclusion of the service in thelittle row of elm-trees which leads to the church porch, or lingeredbehind to gaze with a mother’s pride and fondness upon herhealthy boy, as he sported before her with some little companions,her careworn72 face would lighten up with an expression of heartfeltgratitude; and she would look, if not cheerful and happy, at leasttranquil and contented73.

  ‘Five or six years passed away; the boy had become a robustand well-grown youth. The time that had strengthened the child’sslight frame and knit his weak limbs into the strength of manhoodhad bowed his mother’s form, and enfeebled her steps; but thearm that should have supported her was no longer locked in hers;the face that should have cheered her, no more looked upon herown. She occupied her old seat, but there was a vacant one besideher. The Bible was kept as carefully as ever, the places were foundand folded down as they used to be: but there was no one to read itwith her; and the tears fell thick and fast upon the book, andblotted the words from her eyes. Neighbours were as kind as theywere wont74 to be of old, but she shunned their greetings withaverted head. There was no lingering among the old elm-treesnow-no cheering anticipations75 of happiness yet in store. Thedesolate woman drew her bonnet76 closer over her face, and walkedhurriedly away.

  ‘Shall I tell you that the young man, who, looking back to theearliest of his childhood’s days to which memory andconsciousness extended, and carrying his recollection down tothat moment, could remember nothing which was not in some wayconnected with a long series of voluntary privations suffered byhis mother for his sake, with ill-usage, and insult, and violence,and all endured for him―shall I tell you, that he, with a recklessdisregard for her breaking heart, and a sullen77, wilful78 forgetfulnessof all she had done and borne for him, had linked himself withdepraved and abandoned men, and was madly pursuing aheadlong career, which must bring death to him, and shame toher? Alas79 for human nature! You have anticipated it long since.

  ‘The measure of the unhappy woman’s misery80 and misfortunewas about to be completed. Numerous offences had beencommitted in the neighbourhood; the perpetrators remainedundiscovered, and their boldness increased. A robbery of a daringand aggravated81 nature occasioned a vigilance of pursuit, and astrictness of search, they had not calculated on. Young Edmundswas suspected, with three companions. He was apprehended―committed―tried―condemned―to die.

  ‘The wild and piercing shriek82 from a woman’s voice, whichresounded through the court when the solemn sentence waspronounced, rings in my ears at this moment. That cry struck aterror to the culprit’s heart, which trial, condemnation―theapproach of death itself, had failed to awaken64. The lips which hadbeen compressed in dogged sullenness83 throughout, quivered andparted involuntarily; the face turned ashy pale as the coldperspiration broke forth from every pore; the sturdy limbs of thefelon trembled, and he staggered in the dock.

  ‘In the first transports of her mental anguish84, the sufferingmother threw herself on her knees at my feet, and fervently85 soughtthe Almighty86 Being who had hitherto supported her in all hertroubles to release her from a world of woe87 and misery, and tospare the life of her only child. A burst of grief, and a violentstruggle, such as I hope I may never have to witness again,succeeded. I knew that her heart was breaking from that hour; butI never once heard complaint or murmur escape her lips.

  ‘It was a piteous spectacle to see that woman in the prison-yardfrom day to day, eagerly and fervently attempting, by affection andentreaty, to soften88 the hard heart of her obdurate89 son. It was invain. He remained moody90, obstinate91, and unmoved. Not even theunlooked-for commutation of his sentence to transportation forfourteen years, softened92 for an instant the sullen hardihood of hisdemeanour.

  ‘But the spirit of resignation and endurance that had so longupheld her, was unable to contend against bodily weakness andinfirmity. She fell sick. She dragged her tottering93 limbs from thebed to visit her son once more, but her strength failed her, and shesank powerless on the ground.

  ‘And now the boasted coldness and indifference94 of the youngman were tested indeed; and the retribution that fell heavily uponhim nearly drove him mad. A day passed away and his mother wasnot there; another flew by, and she came not near him; a thirdevening arrived, and yet he had not seen her―, and in four-and-twenty hours he was to be separated from her, perhaps for ever.

  Oh! how the long-forgotten thoughts of former days rushed uponhis mind, as he almost ran up and down the narrow yard―as ifintelligence would arrive the sooner for his hurrying―and howbitterly a sense of his helplessness and desolation rushed uponhim, when he heard the truth! His mother, the only parent he hadever known, lay ill―it might be, dying―within one mile of theground he stood on; were he free and unfettered, a few minuteswould place him by her side. He rushed to the gate, and graspingthe iron rails with the energy of desperation, shook it till it rangagain, and threw himself against the thick wall as if to force apassage through the stone; but the strong building mocked hisfeeble efforts, and he beat his hands together and wept like a child.

  ‘I bore the mother’s forgiveness and blessing95 to her son inprison; and I carried the solemn assurance of repentance96, and hisfervent supplication97 for pardon, to her sick-bed. I heard, with pityand compassion12, the repentant98 man devise a thousand little plansfor her comfort and support when he returned; but I knew thatmany months before he could reach his place of destination, hismother would be no longer of this world.

  ‘He was removed by night. A few weeks afterwards the poorwoman’s soul took its flight, I confidently hope, and solemnlybelieve, to a place of eternal happiness and rest. I performed theburial service over her remains99. She lies in our little churchyard.

  There is no stone at her grave’s head. Her sorrows were known toman; her virtues100 to God.

  ‘It had been arranged previously101 to the convict’s departure, thathe should write to his mother as soon as he could obtainpermission, and that the letter should be addressed to me. Thefather had positively102 refused to see his son from the moment of hisapprehension; and it was a matter of indifference to him whetherhe lived or died. Many years passed over without any intelligenceof him; and when more than half his term of transportation hadexpired, and I had received no letter, I concluded him to be dead,as, indeed, I almost hoped he might be.

  ‘Edmunds, however, had been sent a considerable distance upthe country on his arrival at the settlement; and to thiscircumstance, perhaps, may be attributed the fact, that thoughseveral letters were despatched, none of them ever reached myhands. He remained in the same place during the whole fourteenyears. At the expiration103 of the term, steadily104 adhering to his oldresolution and the pledge he gave his mother, he made his wayback to England amidst innumerable difficulties, and returned, onfoot, to his native place.

  ‘On a fine Sunday evening, in the month of August, JohnEdmunds set foot in the village he had left with shame anddisgrace seventeen years before. His nearest way lay through thechurchyard. The man’s heart swelled105 as he crossed the stile. Thetall old elms, through whose branches the declining sun cast hereand there a rich ray of light upon the shady part, awakened theassociations of his earliest days. He pictured himself as he wasthen, clinging to his mother’s hand, and walking peacefully tochurch. He remembered how he used to look up into her pale face;and how her eyes would sometimes fill with tears as she gazedupon his features―tears which fell hot upon his forehead as shestooped to kiss him, and made him weep too, although he littleknew then what bitter tears hers were. He thought how often hehad run merrily down that path with some childish playfellow,looking back, ever and again, to catch his mother’s smile, or hearher gentle voice; and then a veil seemed lifted from his memory,and words of kindness unrequited, and warnings despised, andpromises broken, thronged106 upon his recollection till his heartfailed him, and he could bear it no longer.

  ‘He entered the church. The evening service was concluded andthe congregation had dispersed107, but it was not yet closed. Hissteps echoed through the low building with a hollow sound, and healmost feared to be alone, it was so still and quiet. He lookedround him. Nothing was changed. The place seemed smaller thanit used to be; but there were the old monuments on which he hadgazed with childish awe108 a thousand times; the little pulpit with itsfaded cushion; the Communion table before which he had so oftenrepeated the Commandments he had reverenced109 as a child, andforgotten as a man. He approached the old seat; it looked cold anddesolate. The cushion had been removed, and the Bible was notthere. Perhaps his mother now occupied a poorer seat, or possiblyshe had grown infirm and could not reach the church alone. Hedared not think of what he feared. A cold feeling crept over him,and he trembled violently as he turned away.

  ‘An old man entered the porch just as he reached it. Edmundsstarted back, for he knew him well; many a time he had watchedhim digging graves in the churchyard. What would he say to thereturned convict?

  ‘The old man raised his eyes to the stranger’s face, bade him“good-evening,” and walked slowly on. He had forgotten him.

  ‘He walked down the hill, and through the village. The weatherwas warm, and the people were sitting at their doors, or strollingin their little gardens as he passed, enjoying the serenity110 of theevening, and their rest from labour. Many a look was turnedtowards him, and many a doubtful glance he cast on either side tosee whether any knew and shunned him. There were strange facesin almost every house; in some he recognised the burly form ofsome old schoolfellow―a boy when he last saw him―surroundedby a troop of merry children; in others he saw, seated in an easy-chair at a cottage door, a feeble and infirm old man, whom he onlyremembered as a hale and hearty labourer; but they had allforgotten him, and he passed on unknown.

  ‘The last soft light of the setting sun had fallen on the earth,casting a rich glow on the yellow corn sheaves, and lengtheningthe shadows of the orchard111 trees, as he stood before the oldhouse―the home of his infancy―to which his heart had yearnedwith an intensity112 of affection not to be described, through long andweary years of captivity113 and sorrow. The paling was low, thoughhe well remembered the time that it had seemed a high wall tohim; and he looked over into the old garden. There were moreseeds and gayer flowers than there used to be, but there were theold trees still―the very tree under which he had lain a thousandtimes when tired of playing in the sun, and felt the soft, mild sleepof happy boyhood steal gently upon him. There were voices withinthe house. He listened, but they fell strangely upon his ear; heknew them not. They were merry too; and he well knew that hispoor old mother could not be cheerful, and he away. The dooropened, and a group of little children bounded out, shouting andromping. The father, with a little boy in his arms, appeared at thedoor, and they crowded round him, clapping their tiny hands, anddragging him out, to join their joyous49 sports. The convict thoughton the many times he had shrunk from his father’s sight in thatvery place. He remembered how often he had buried his tremblinghead beneath the bedclothes, and heard the harsh word, and thehard stripe, and his mother’s wailing114; and though the man sobbedaloud with agony of mind as he left the spot, his fist was clenched115,and his teeth were set, in a fierce and deadly passion.

  ‘And such was the return to which he had looked through theweary perspective of many years, and for which he had undergoneso much suffering! No face of welcome, no look of forgiveness, nohouse to receive, no hand to help him―and this too in the oldvillage. What was his loneliness in the wild, thick woods, whereman was never seen, to this!

  ‘He felt that in the distant land of his bondage116 and infamy117, hehad thought of his native place as it was when he left it; and not asit would be when he returned. The sad reality struck coldly at hisheart, and his spirit sank within him. He had not courage to makeinquiries, or to present himself to the only person who was likelyto receive him with kindness and compassion. He walked slowlyon; and shunning118 the roadside like a guilty man, turned into ameadow he well remembered; and covering his face with hishands, threw himself upon the grass.

  ‘He had not observed that a man was lying on the bank besidehim; his garments rustled119 as he turned round to steal a look at thenew-comer; and Edmunds raised his head.

  ‘The man had moved into a sitting posture120. His body was muchbent, and his face was wrinkled and yellow. His dress denoted himan inmate121 of the workhouse: he had the appearance of being veryold, but it looked more the effect of dissipation or disease, than thelength of years. He was staring hard at the stranger, and thoughhis eyes were lustreless122 and heavy at first, they appeared to glowwith an unnatural and alarmed expression after they had beenfixed upon him for a short time, until they seemed to be startingfrom their sockets123. Edmunds gradually raised himself to his knees,and looked more and more earnestly on the old man’s face. Theygazed upon each other in silence.

  ‘The old man was ghastly pale. He shuddered124 and tottered125 tohis feet. Edmunds sprang to his. He stepped back a pace or two.

  Edmunds advanced.

  ‘“Let me hear you speak,” said the convict, in a thick, brokenvoice.

  ‘“Stand off!” cried the old man, with a dreadful oath. Theconvict drew closer to him.

  ‘“Stand off!” shrieked126 the old man. Furious with terror, heraised his stick, and struck Edmunds a heavy blow across the face.

  ‘“Father―devil!” murmured the convict between his set teeth.

  He rushed wildly forward, and clenched the old man by thethroat―but he was his father; and his arm fell powerless by his‘The old man uttered a loud yell which rang through the lonelyfields like the howl of an evil spirit. His face turned black, the gorerushed from his mouth and nose, and dyed the grass a deep, darkred, as he staggered and fell. He had ruptured127 a blood-vessel, andhe was a dead man before his son could raise him.

  ‘In that corner of the churchyard,’ said the old gentleman, aftera silence of a few moments, ‘in that corner of the churchyard ofwhich I have before spoken, there lies buried a man who was inmy employment for three years after this event, and who was trulycontrite, penitent128, and humbled129, if ever man was. No one savemyself knew in that man’s lifetime who he was, or whence hecame―it was John Edmunds, the returned convict.’


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 ornamented af417c68be20f209790a9366e9da8dbb     
adj.花式字体的v.装饰,点缀,美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The desk was ornamented with many carvings. 这桌子装饰有很多雕刻物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • She ornamented her dress with lace. 她用花边装饰衣服。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 antiquity SNuzc     
n.古老;高龄;古物,古迹
参考例句:
  • The museum contains the remains of Chinese antiquity.博物馆藏有中国古代的遗物。
  • There are many legends about the heroes of antiquity.有许多关于古代英雄的传说。
3 crimson AYwzH     
n./adj.深(绯)红色(的);vi.脸变绯红色
参考例句:
  • She went crimson with embarrassment.她羞得满脸通红。
  • Maple leaves have turned crimson.枫叶已经红了。
4 holders 79c0e3bbb1170e3018817c5f45ebf33f     
支持物( holder的名词复数 ); 持有者; (支票等)持有人; 支托(或握持)…之物
参考例句:
  • Slaves were mercilessly ground down by slave holders. 奴隶受奴隶主的残酷压迫。
  • It is recognition of compassion's part that leads the up-holders of capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim. 正是对怜悯的作用有了认识,才使得死刑的提倡者指控主张废除死刑的人感情用事,同情谋杀犯胜过同情受害者。
5 vying MHZyS     
adj.竞争的;比赛的
参考例句:
  • California is vying with other states to capture a piece of the growing communications market.为了在日渐扩大的通讯市场分得一杯羹,加利福尼亚正在和其他州展开竞争。
  • Four rescue plans are vying to save the zoo.4个拯救动物园的方案正争得不可开交。
6 benevolent Wtfzx     
adj.仁慈的,乐善好施的
参考例句:
  • His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him.他乐善好施的本性使他不会拒绝走上前向他行乞的任何一个乞丐。
  • He was a benevolent old man and he wouldn't hurt a fly.他是一个仁慈的老人,连只苍蝇都不愿伤害。
8 exertion F7Fyi     
n.尽力,努力
参考例句:
  • We were sweating profusely from the exertion of moving the furniture.我们搬动家具大费气力,累得大汗淋漓。
  • She was hot and breathless from the exertion of cycling uphill.由于用力骑车爬坡,她浑身发热。
9 triumphantly 9fhzuv     
ad.得意洋洋地;得胜地;成功地
参考例句:
  • The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。
  • Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。
10 dubiously dubiously     
adv.可疑地,怀疑地
参考例句:
  • "What does he have to do?" queried Chin dubiously. “他有什么心事?”琴向觉民问道,她的脸上现出疑惑不解的神情。 来自汉英文学 - 家(1-26) - 家(1-26)
  • He walked out fast, leaving the head waiter staring dubiously at the flimsy blue paper. 他很快地走出去,撇下侍者头儿半信半疑地瞪着这张薄薄的蓝纸。 来自辞典例句
11 compassionate PXPyc     
adj.有同情心的,表示同情的
参考例句:
  • She is a compassionate person.她是一个有同情心的人。
  • The compassionate judge gave the young offender a light sentence.慈悲的法官从轻判处了那个年轻罪犯。
12 compassion 3q2zZ     
n.同情,怜悯
参考例句:
  • He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
  • Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。
13 miller ZD6xf     
n.磨坊主
参考例句:
  • Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
  • The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。
14 conceited Cv0zxi     
adj.自负的,骄傲自满的
参考例句:
  • He could not bear that they should be so conceited.他们这样自高自大他受不了。
  • I'm not as conceited as so many people seem to think.我不像很多人认为的那么自负。
15 coxcomb kvqz6L     
n.花花公子
参考例句:
  • Jones was not so vain and senseless a coxcomb as to expect.琼斯并不是那么一个不自量,没头没脑的浪荡哥儿。
  • He is a plausible coxcomb.他是个巧言令色的花花公子。
16 delinquent BmLzk     
adj.犯法的,有过失的;n.违法者
参考例句:
  • Most delinquent children have deprived backgrounds.多数少年犯都有未受教育的背景。
  • He is delinquent in paying his rent.他拖欠房租。
17 bustling LxgzEl     
adj.喧闹的
参考例句:
  • The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
  • This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。
18 lethargic 6k9yM     
adj.昏睡的,懒洋洋的
参考例句:
  • He felt too miserable and lethargic to get dressed.他心情低落无精打采,完全没有心思穿衣整装。
  • The hot weather made me feel lethargic.炎热的天气使我昏昏欲睡。
19 contrived ivBzmO     
adj.不自然的,做作的;虚构的
参考例句:
  • There was nothing contrived or calculated about what he said.他说的话里没有任何蓄意捏造的成分。
  • The plot seems contrived.情节看起来不真实。
20 sedateness 6c9889ba5b5f397ec14844a3b81ef2a8     
n.安详,镇静
参考例句:
  • As nothing else happened and everything quieted down again, the man put away his gun, looking quite embarrassed, but he soon regained his usual sedateness. 随后,再也没有什么动静了。他收起了手枪,显得尴尬异常,但很快便恢复了常态。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Grace lapsed into unwonted sedateness. 格雷丝变得异常严肃起来。 来自辞典例句
21 boisterous it0zJ     
adj.喧闹的,欢闹的
参考例句:
  • I don't condescend to boisterous displays of it.我并不屈就于它热热闹闹的外表。
  • The children tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play.孩子们经常是先静静地聚集在一起,不一会就开始吵吵嚷嚷戏耍开了。
22 wrath nVNzv     
n.愤怒,愤慨,暴怒
参考例句:
  • His silence marked his wrath. 他的沉默表明了他的愤怒。
  • The wrath of the people is now aroused. 人们被激怒了。
23 forth Hzdz2     
adv.向前;向外,往外
参考例句:
  • The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
  • He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
24 trumped ccd8981ef2e9e924662f9825da2c2ce2     
v.(牌戏)出王牌赢(一牌或一墩)( trump的过去分词 );吹号公告,吹号庆祝;吹喇叭;捏造
参考例句:
  • That woman trumped up various baseless charges against him. 那个女人捏造种种毫无根据的罪名指控他。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Several of his colleagues trumped up a complaint to get him removed from the job. 他的几位同事诬告他,使他丟掉了工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》
25 assent Hv6zL     
v.批准,认可;n.批准,认可
参考例句:
  • I cannot assent to what you ask.我不能应允你的要求。
  • The new bill passed by Parliament has received Royal Assent.议会所通过的新方案已获国王批准。
26 crestfallen Aagy0     
adj. 挫败的,失望的,沮丧的
参考例句:
  • He gathered himself up and sneaked off,crushed and crestfallen.他爬起来,偷偷地溜了,一副垂头丧气、被斗败的样子。
  • The youth looked exceedingly crestfallen.那青年看上去垂头丧气极了。
27 growled 65a0c9cac661e85023a63631d6dab8a3     
v.(动物)发狺狺声, (雷)作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 );低声咆哮着说
参考例句:
  • \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道:“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》
28 captious wTjy2     
adj.难讨好的,吹毛求疵的
参考例句:
  • There is no captious client but faulty product and service.没有挑剔的客户,只有不完善的产品和服务。
  • His criticisms were always captious and frivolous,never offering constructive suggestions.他的评论一向轻率并爱吹毛求疵,从不提出有建设性的建议。
29 timorous gg6yb     
adj.胆怯的,胆小的
参考例句:
  • She is as timorous as a rabbit.她胆小得像只兔子。
  • The timorous rabbit ran away.那只胆小的兔子跑开了。
30 retired Njhzyv     
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
参考例句:
  • The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
  • Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
31 retirement TWoxH     
n.退休,退职
参考例句:
  • She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
  • I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。
32 Christian KVByl     
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒
参考例句:
  • They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
  • His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
33 pettish LNUxx     
adj.易怒的,使性子的
参考例句:
  • I can't act in pettish to you any further.我再也不能对你撒娇了。
  • He was getting more and more pettish and hysterical.他变得越来越任性,越来越歇斯底里。
34 facetiously 60e741cc43b1b4c122dc937f3679eaab     
adv.爱开玩笑地;滑稽地,爱开玩笑地
参考例句:
  • The house had been facetiously named by some waggish officer. 这房子是由某个机智幽默的军官命名的。 来自辞典例句
  • I sometimes facetiously place the cause of it all to Charley Furuseth's credit. 我有时候也曾将起因全部可笑地推在却利?福罗萨的身上。 来自辞典例句
35 partnerships ce2e6aff420d72bbf56e8077be344bc9     
n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 );合伙人身份;合作关系
参考例句:
  • Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
  • It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句
36 divers hu9z23     
adj.不同的;种种的
参考例句:
  • He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人,要他们和他作伴。
  • Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作,同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。
37 chuckles dbb3c2dbccec4daa8f44238e4cffd25c     
轻声地笑( chuckle的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Father always chuckles when he reads the funny papers. 父亲在读幽默报纸时总是低声发笑。
  • [Chuckles] You thought he was being poisoned by hemlock? 你觉得他中的会是芹叶钩吻毒吗?
38 heartily Ld3xp     
adv.衷心地,诚恳地,十分,很
参考例句:
  • He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿,就出去找他的马。
  • The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手,热情地和我握手。
39 glided dc24e51e27cfc17f7f45752acf858ed1     
v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 );掠过;(鸟或飞机 ) 滑翔
参考例句:
  • The President's motorcade glided by. 总统的车队一溜烟开了过去。
  • They glided along the wall until they were out of sight. 他们沿着墙壁溜得无影无踪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
40 homely Ecdxo     
adj.家常的,简朴的;不漂亮的
参考例句:
  • We had a homely meal of bread and cheese.我们吃了一顿面包加乳酪的家常便餐。
  • Come and have a homely meal with us,will you?来和我们一起吃顿家常便饭,好吗?
41 hospitable CcHxA     
adj.好客的;宽容的;有利的,适宜的
参考例句:
  • The man is very hospitable.He keeps open house for his friends and fellow-workers.那人十分好客,无论是他的朋友还是同事,他都盛情接待。
  • The locals are hospitable and welcoming.当地人热情好客。
42 melancholy t7rz8     
n.忧郁,愁思;adj.令人感伤(沮丧)的,忧郁的
参考例句:
  • All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
  • He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过,他感到很郁闷。
43 ivy x31ys     
n.常青藤,常春藤
参考例句:
  • Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。
  • The wall is covered all over with ivy.墙上爬满了常春藤。
44 murmur EjtyD     
n.低语,低声的怨言;v.低语,低声而言
参考例句:
  • They paid the extra taxes without a murmur.他们毫无怨言地交了附加税。
  • There was a low murmur of conversation in the hall.大厅里有窃窃私语声。
45 sundry CswwL     
adj.各式各样的,种种的
参考例句:
  • This cream can be used to treat sundry minor injuries.这种药膏可用来治各种轻伤。
  • We can see the rich man on sundry occasions.我们能在各种场合见到那个富豪。
46 lone Q0cxL     
adj.孤寂的,单独的;唯一的
参考例句:
  • A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
  • She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。
47 crumbled 32aad1ed72782925f55b2641d6bf1516     
(把…)弄碎, (使)碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 衰落; 坍塌; 损坏
参考例句:
  • He crumbled the bread in his fingers. 他用手指把面包捻碎。
  • Our hopes crumbled when the business went bankrupt. 商行破产了,我们的希望也破灭了。
48 mouldering 4ddb5c7fbd9e0da44ea2bbec6ed7b2f1     
v.腐朽( moulder的现在分词 );腐烂,崩塌
参考例句:
  • The room smelt of disuse and mouldering books. 房间里有一股长期不用和霉烂书籍的味道。
  • Every mouldering stone was a chronicle. 每块崩碎剥落的石头都是一部编年史。 来自辞典例句
49 joyous d3sxB     
adj.充满快乐的;令人高兴的
参考例句:
  • The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
  • They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。
50 joyously 1p4zu0     
ad.快乐地, 高兴地
参考例句:
  • She opened the door for me and threw herself in my arms, screaming joyously and demanding that we decorate the tree immediately. 她打开门,直扑我的怀抱,欣喜地喊叫着要马上装饰圣诞树。
  • They came running, crying out joyously in trilling girlish voices. 她们边跑边喊,那少女的颤音好不欢快。 来自名作英译部分
51 scattered 7jgzKF     
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的
参考例句:
  • Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来,塞进文件夹里。
52 hearty Od1zn     
adj.热情友好的;衷心的;尽情的,纵情的
参考例句:
  • After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了,他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
  • We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。
53 fatten ClLxX     
v.使肥,变肥
参考例句:
  • The new feed can fatten the chicken up quickly enough for market.新饲料能使鸡长得更快,以适应市场需求。
  • We keep animals in pens to fatten them.我们把动物关在围栏里把它们养肥。
54 proceeding Vktzvu     
n.行动,进行,(pl.)会议录,学报
参考例句:
  • This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
  • The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。
55 favourable favourable     
adj.赞成的,称赞的,有利的,良好的,顺利的
参考例句:
  • The company will lend you money on very favourable terms.这家公司将以非常优惠的条件借钱给你。
  • We found that most people are favourable to the idea.我们发现大多数人同意这个意见。
56 recital kAjzI     
n.朗诵,独奏会,独唱会
参考例句:
  • She is going to give a piano recital.她即将举行钢琴独奏会。
  • I had their total attention during the thirty-five minutes that my recital took.在我叙述的35分钟内,他们完全被我吸引了。
57 slumbers bc73f889820149a9ed406911856c4ce2     
睡眠,安眠( slumber的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • His image traversed constantly her restless slumbers. 他的形象一再闯进她的脑海,弄得她不能安睡。
  • My Titan brother slumbers deep inside his mountain prison. Go. 我的泰坦兄弟就被囚禁在山脉的深处。
58 morose qjByA     
adj.脾气坏的,不高兴的
参考例句:
  • He was silent and morose.他沉默寡言、郁郁寡欢。
  • The publicity didn't make him morose or unhappy?公开以后,没有让他郁闷或者不开心吗?
59 disposition GljzO     
n.性情,性格;意向,倾向;排列,部署
参考例句:
  • He has made a good disposition of his property.他已对财产作了妥善处理。
  • He has a cheerful disposition.他性情开朗。
60 shunned bcd48f012d0befb1223f8e35a7516d0e     
v.避开,回避,避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She was shunned by her family when she remarried. 她再婚后家里人都躲着她。
  • He was a shy man who shunned all publicity. 他是个怕羞的人,总是避开一切引人注目的活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
61 solicitude mFEza     
n.焦虑
参考例句:
  • Your solicitude was a great consolation to me.你对我的关怀给了我莫大的安慰。
  • He is full of tender solicitude towards my sister.他对我妹妹满心牵挂。
62 systematically 7qhwn     
adv.有系统地
参考例句:
  • This government has systematically run down public services since it took office.这一屆政府自上台以来系统地削减了公共服务。
  • The rainforest is being systematically destroyed.雨林正被系统地毀灭。
63 awakened de71059d0b3cd8a1de21151c9166f9f0     
v.(使)醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 );(使)觉醒;弄醒;(使)意识到
参考例句:
  • She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
  • The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》
64 awaken byMzdD     
vi.醒,觉醒;vt.唤醒,使觉醒,唤起,激起
参考例句:
  • Old people awaken early in the morning.老年人早晨醒得早。
  • Please awaken me at six.请于六点叫醒我。
65 meekness 90085f0fe4f98e6ba344e6fe6b2f4e0f     
n.温顺,柔和
参考例句:
  • Amy sewed with outward meekness and inward rebellion till dusk. 阿密阳奉阴违地一直缝到黄昏。 来自辞典例句
  • 'I am pretty well, I thank you,' answered Mr. Lorry, with meekness; 'how are you?' “很好,谢谢,”罗瑞先生回答,态度温驯,“你好么?” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
66 bosom Lt9zW     
n.胸,胸部;胸怀;内心;adj.亲密的
参考例句:
  • She drew a little book from her bosom.她从怀里取出一本小册子。
  • A dark jealousy stirred in his bosom.他内心生出一阵恶毒的嫉妒。
67 exertions 2d5ee45020125fc19527a78af5191726     
n.努力( exertion的名词复数 );费力;(能力、权力等的)运用;行使
参考例句:
  • As long as they lived, exertions would not be necessary to her. 只要他们活着,是不需要她吃苦的。 来自辞典例句
  • She failed to unlock the safe in spite of all her exertions. 她虽然费尽力气,仍未能将那保险箱的锁打开。 来自辞典例句
68 sobs d4349f86cad43cb1a5579b1ef269d0cb     
啜泣(声),呜咽(声)( sob的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • She was struggling to suppress her sobs. 她拼命不让自己哭出来。
  • She burst into a convulsive sobs. 她突然抽泣起来。
69 distress 3llzX     
n.苦恼,痛苦,不舒适;不幸;vt.使悲痛
参考例句:
  • Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
  • Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。
70 unnatural 5f2zAc     
adj.不自然的;反常的
参考例句:
  • Did her behaviour seem unnatural in any way?她有任何反常表现吗?
  • She has an unnatural smile on her face.她脸上挂着做作的微笑。
71 conceal DpYzt     
v.隐藏,隐瞒,隐蔽
参考例句:
  • He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方,他只好隐瞒身份。
  • He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。
72 careworn YTUyF     
adj.疲倦的,饱经忧患的
参考例句:
  • It's sad to see the careworn face of the mother of a large poor family.看到那贫穷的一大家子的母亲忧劳憔悴的脸庞心里真是难受。
  • The old woman had a careworn look on her face.老妇脸上露出忧心忡忡的神色。
73 contented Gvxzof     
adj.满意的,安心的,知足的
参考例句:
  • He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。
  • The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。
74 wont peXzFP     
adj.习惯于;v.习惯;n.习惯
参考例句:
  • He was wont to say that children are lazy.他常常说小孩子们懒惰。
  • It is his wont to get up early.早起是他的习惯。
75 anticipations 5b99dd11cd8d6a699f0940a993c12076     
预期( anticipation的名词复数 ); 预测; (信托财产收益的)预支; 预期的事物
参考例句:
  • The thought took a deal of the spirit out of his anticipations. 想到这,他的劲头消了不少。
  • All such bright anticipations were cruelly dashed that night. 所有这些美好的期望全在那天夜晚被无情地粉碎了。
76 bonnet AtSzQ     
n.无边女帽;童帽
参考例句:
  • The baby's bonnet keeps the sun out of her eyes.婴孩的帽子遮住阳光,使之不刺眼。
  • She wore a faded black bonnet garnished with faded artificial flowers.她戴着一顶褪了色的黑色无边帽,帽上缀着褪了色的假花。
77 sullen kHGzl     
adj.愠怒的,闷闷不乐的,(天气等)阴沉的
参考例句:
  • He looked up at the sullen sky.他抬头看了一眼阴沉的天空。
  • Susan was sullen in the morning because she hadn't slept well.苏珊今天早上郁闷不乐,因为昨晚没睡好。
78 wilful xItyq     
adj.任性的,故意的
参考例句:
  • A wilful fault has no excuse and deserves no pardon.不能宽恕故意犯下的错误。
  • He later accused reporters of wilful distortion and bias.他后来指责记者有意歪曲事实并带有偏见。
79 alas Rx8z1     
int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)
参考例句:
  • Alas!The window is broken!哎呀!窗子破了!
  • Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而,真理很少带有浪漫色彩。
80 misery G10yi     
n.痛苦,苦恼,苦难;悲惨的境遇,贫苦
参考例句:
  • Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
  • He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。
81 aggravated d0aec1b8bb810b0e260cb2aa0ff9c2ed     
使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 ); 使更严重; 激怒; 使恼火
参考例句:
  • If he aggravated me any more I shall hit him. 假如他再激怒我,我就要揍他。
  • Far from relieving my cough, the medicine aggravated it. 这药非但不镇咳,反而使我咳嗽得更厉害。
82 shriek fEgya     
v./n.尖叫,叫喊
参考例句:
  • Suddenly he began to shriek loudly.突然他开始大声尖叫起来。
  • People sometimes shriek because of terror,anger,or pain.人们有时会因为恐惧,气愤或疼痛而尖叫。
83 sullenness 22d786707c82440912ef6d2c00489b1e     
n. 愠怒, 沉闷, 情绪消沉
参考例句:
  • His bluster sank to sullenness under her look. 在她目光逼视下,他蛮横的表情稍加收敛,显出一副阴沉的样子。
  • Marked by anger or sullenness. 怒气冲冲的,忿恨的。
84 anguish awZz0     
n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦,烦恼
参考例句:
  • She cried out for anguish at parting.分手时,她由于痛苦而失声大哭。
  • The unspeakable anguish wrung his heart.难言的痛苦折磨着他的心。
85 fervently 8tmzPw     
adv.热烈地,热情地,强烈地
参考例句:
  • "Oh, I am glad!'she said fervently. “哦,我真高兴!”她热烈地说道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • O my dear, my dear, will you bless me as fervently to-morrow?' 啊,我亲爱的,亲爱的,你明天也愿这样热烈地为我祝福么?” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
86 almighty dzhz1h     
adj.全能的,万能的;很大的,很强的
参考例句:
  • Those rebels did not really challenge Gods almighty power.这些叛徒没有对上帝的全能力量表示怀疑。
  • It's almighty cold outside.外面冷得要命。
87 woe OfGyu     
n.悲哀,苦痛,不幸,困难;int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌
参考例句:
  • Our two peoples are brothers sharing weal and woe.我们两国人民是患难与共的兄弟。
  • A man is well or woe as he thinks himself so.自认祸是祸,自认福是福。
88 soften 6w0wk     
v.(使)变柔软;(使)变柔和
参考例句:
  • Plastics will soften when exposed to heat.塑料适当加热就可以软化。
  • This special cream will help to soften up our skin.这种特殊的护肤霜有助于使皮肤变得柔软。
89 obdurate N5Dz0     
adj.固执的,顽固的
参考例句:
  • He is obdurate in his convictions.他执着于自己所坚信的事。
  • He remained obdurate,refusing to alter his decision.他依然固执己见,拒不改变决定。
90 moody XEXxG     
adj.心情不稳的,易怒的,喜怒无常的
参考例句:
  • He relapsed into a moody silence.他又重新陷于忧郁的沉默中。
  • I'd never marry that girl.She's so moody.我决不会和那女孩结婚的。她太易怒了。
91 obstinate m0dy6     
adj.顽固的,倔强的,不易屈服的,较难治愈的
参考例句:
  • She's too obstinate to let anyone help her.她太倔强了,不会让任何人帮她的。
  • The trader was obstinate in the negotiation.这个商人在谈判中拗强固执。
92 softened 19151c4e3297eb1618bed6a05d92b4fe     
(使)变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 ); 缓解打击; 缓和; 安慰
参考例句:
  • His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。
  • The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。
93 tottering 20cd29f0c6d8ba08c840e6520eeb3fac     
adj.蹒跚的,动摇的v.走得或动得不稳( totter的现在分词 );踉跄;蹒跚;摇摇欲坠
参考例句:
  • the tottering walls of the castle 古城堡摇摇欲坠的墙壁
  • With power and to spare we must pursue the tottering foe. 宜将剩勇追穷寇。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
94 indifference k8DxO     
n.不感兴趣,不关心,冷淡,不在乎
参考例句:
  • I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。
  • He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。
95 blessing UxDztJ     
n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿
参考例句:
  • The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
  • A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。
96 repentance ZCnyS     
n.懊悔
参考例句:
  • He shows no repentance for what he has done.他对他的所作所为一点也不懊悔。
  • Christ is inviting sinners to repentance.基督正在敦请有罪的人悔悟。
97 supplication supplication     
n.恳求,祈愿,哀求
参考例句:
  • She knelt in supplication. 她跪地祷求。
  • The supplication touched him home. 这个请求深深地打动了他。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
98 repentant gsXyx     
adj.对…感到悔恨的
参考例句:
  • He was repentant when he saw what he'd done.他看到自己的作为,心里悔恨。
  • I'll be meek under their coldness and repentant of my evil ways.我愿意乖乖地忍受她们的奚落,忏悔我过去的恶行。
99 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
100 virtues cd5228c842b227ac02d36dd986c5cd53     
美德( virtue的名词复数 ); 德行; 优点; 长处
参考例句:
  • Doctors often extol the virtues of eating less fat. 医生常常宣扬少吃脂肪的好处。
  • She delivered a homily on the virtues of family life. 她进行了一场家庭生活美德方面的说教。
101 previously bkzzzC     
adv.以前,先前(地)
参考例句:
  • The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
  • Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿,解释原先发生了什么。
102 positively vPTxw     
adv.明确地,断然,坚决地;实在,确实
参考例句:
  • She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
  • The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。
103 expiration bmSxA     
n.终结,期满,呼气,呼出物
参考例句:
  • Can I have your credit card number followed by the expiration date?能告诉我你的信用卡号码和它的到期日吗?
  • This contract shall be terminated on the expiration date.劳动合同期满,即行终止。
104 steadily Qukw6     
adv.稳定地;不变地;持续地
参考例句:
  • The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
  • Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。
105 swelled bd4016b2ddc016008c1fc5827f252c73     
增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 ); 肿胀; (使)凸出; 充满(激情)
参考例句:
  • The infection swelled his hand. 由于感染,他的手肿了起来。
  • After the heavy rain the river swelled. 大雨过后,河水猛涨。
106 thronged bf76b78f908dbd232106a640231da5ed     
v.成群,挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Mourners thronged to the funeral. 吊唁者蜂拥着前来参加葬礼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The department store was thronged with people. 百货商店挤满了人。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
107 dispersed b24c637ca8e58669bce3496236c839fa     
adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的
参考例句:
  • The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。
  • After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后,孩子们四散回家了。
108 awe WNqzC     
n.敬畏,惊惧;vt.使敬畏,使惊惧
参考例句:
  • The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
  • The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。
109 reverenced b0764f0f6c4cd8423583f27ea5b5a765     
v.尊敬,崇敬( reverence的过去式和过去分词 );敬礼
参考例句:
  • The name of Albert Einstein is still reverenced by the scientists all over the world. 爱因斯坦的名字仍然受到世界各地科学家的崇敬。 来自互联网
  • For it is always necessary to be loved, but not always necessary to be reverenced. 一个人总是能得到必要的爱,却不总是能得到必要的尊敬。 来自互联网
110 serenity fEzzz     
n.宁静,沉着,晴朗
参考例句:
  • Her face,though sad,still evoked a feeling of serenity.她的脸色虽然悲伤,但仍使人感觉安详。
  • She escaped to the comparative serenity of the kitchen.她逃到相对安静的厨房里。
111 orchard UJzxu     
n.果园,果园里的全部果树,(美俚)棒球场
参考例句:
  • My orchard is bearing well this year.今年我的果园果实累累。
  • Each bamboo house was surrounded by a thriving orchard.每座竹楼周围都是茂密的果园。
112 intensity 45Ixd     
n.强烈,剧烈;强度;烈度
参考例句:
  • I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
  • The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。
113 captivity qrJzv     
n.囚禁;被俘;束缚
参考例句:
  • A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
  • He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。
114 wailing 25fbaeeefc437dc6816eab4c6298b423     
v.哭叫,哀号( wail的现在分词 );沱
参考例句:
  • A police car raced past with its siren wailing. 一辆警车鸣着警报器飞驰而过。
  • The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。
115 clenched clenched     
v.紧握,抓紧,咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He clenched his fists in anger. 他愤怒地攥紧了拳头。
  • She clenched her hands in her lap to hide their trembling. 她攥紧双手放在腿上,以掩饰其颤抖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
116 bondage 0NtzR     
n.奴役,束缚
参考例句:
  • Masters sometimes allowed their slaves to buy their way out of bondage.奴隶主们有时允许奴隶为自己赎身。
  • They aim to deliver the people who are in bondage to superstitious belief.他们的目的在于解脱那些受迷信束缚的人。
117 infamy j71x2     
n.声名狼藉,出丑,恶行
参考例句:
  • They may grant you power,honour,and riches but afflict you with servitude,infamy,and poverty.他们可以给你权力、荣誉和财富,但却用奴役、耻辱和贫穷来折磨你。
  • Traitors are held in infamy.叛徒为人所不齿。
118 shunning f77a1794ffcbea6dcfeb67a3e9932661     
v.避开,回避,避免( shun的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • My flight was more a shunning of external and internal dangers. 我的出走是要避开各种外在的和内在的威胁。 来自辞典例句
  • That book Yeh-yeh gave me-"On Filial Piety and the Shunning of Lewdness"-was still on the table. 我坐下来,祖父给我的那本《刘芷唐先生教孝戒淫浅训》还在桌子上。 来自汉英文学 - 家(1-26) - 家(1-26)
119 rustled f68661cf4ba60e94dc1960741a892551     
v.发出沙沙的声音( rustle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He rustled his papers. 他把试卷弄得沙沙地响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Leaves rustled gently in the breeze. 树叶迎着微风沙沙作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
120 posture q1gzk     
n.姿势,姿态,心态,态度;v.作出某种姿势
参考例句:
  • The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。
  • He tore off his coat and assumed a fighting posture.他脱掉上衣,摆出一副打架的架势。
121 inmate l4cyN     
n.被收容者;(房屋等的)居住人;住院人
参考例句:
  • I am an inmate of that hospital.我住在那家医院。
  • The prisoner is his inmate.那个囚犯和他同住一起。
122 lustreless cc5e530d299be9641ab842b66a66b363     
adj.无光泽的,无光彩的,平淡乏味的
参考例句:
  • The early autumn was lustreless and slack. 初秋的日子是黯淡、萧条的。 来自辞典例句
  • The day was cool and rather lustreless; the first note of autumn had been struck. 这天天气阴凉,光线暗淡,秋色已开始来临。 来自辞典例句
123 sockets ffe33a3f6e35505faba01d17fd07d641     
n.套接字,使应用程序能够读写与收发通讯协定(protocol)与资料的程序( Socket的名词复数 );孔( socket的名词复数 );(电器上的)插口;托座;凹穴
参考例句:
  • All new PCs now have USB sockets. 新的个人计算机现在都有通用串行总线插孔。
  • Make sure the sockets in your house are fingerproof. 确保你房中的插座是防触电的。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
124 shuddered 70137c95ff493fbfede89987ee46ab86     
v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 );发抖;(机器、车辆等)突然震动;颤动
参考例句:
  • He slammed on the brakes and the car shuddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车,车颤抖着停住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 我一看见那尸体就战栗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
125 tottered 60930887e634cc81d6b03c2dda74833f     
v.走得或动得不稳( totter的过去式和过去分词 );踉跄;蹒跚;摇摇欲坠
参考例句:
  • The pile of books tottered then fell. 这堆书晃了几下,然后就倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The wounded soldier tottered to his feet. 伤员摇摇晃晃地站了起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
126 shrieked dc12d0d25b0f5d980f524cd70c1de8fe     
v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She shrieked in fright. 她吓得尖叫起来。
  • Li Mei-t'ing gave a shout, and Lu Tzu-hsiao shrieked, "Tell what? 李梅亭大声叫,陆子潇尖声叫:“告诉什么? 来自汉英文学 - 围城
127 ruptured 077b042156149d8d522b697413b3801c     
v.(使)破裂( rupture的过去式和过去分词 );(使体内组织等)断裂;使(友好关系)破裂;使绝交
参考例句:
  • They reported that the pipeline had ruptured. 他们报告说管道已经破裂了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The wall through Berlin was finally ruptured, prefiguring the reunification of Germany. 柏林墙终于倒塌了,预示着德国的重新统一。 来自辞典例句
128 penitent wu9ys     
adj.后悔的;n.后悔者;忏悔者
参考例句:
  • They all appeared very penitent,and begged hard for their lives.他们一个个表示悔罪,苦苦地哀求饶命。
  • She is deeply penitent.她深感愧疚。
129 humbled 601d364ccd70fb8e885e7d73c3873aca     
adj. 卑下的,谦逊的,粗陋的 vt. 使 ... 卑下,贬低
参考例句:
  • The examination results humbled him. 考试成绩挫了他的傲气。
  • I am sure millions of viewers were humbled by this story. 我相信数百万观众看了这个故事后都会感到自己的渺小。


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